Saint Francis Blanks Cornerstone, 2-0

The University of Saint Francis men’s soccer team scored twice late in the first half and made the advantage stand, earning a 2-0 road victory over Cornerstone University on Saturday afternoon.

The Cougars controlled the opening half and finally broke through in the 32nd minute. Sidney Tippner scored his first goal of the season at the 31:55 mark, giving Saint Francis a 1-0 advantage.

Less than eight minutes later, Nils Kirtzeck doubled the lead. Kirtzeck found the back of the net at 39:40 for his second goal of the season, sending the Cougars into halftime with a 2-0 lead.

Neither side scored after the break, as Saint Francis protected its advantage and finished off the shutout.

The Cougars held an 11-7 advantage in shots, with four of their attempts reaching the target. Saint Francis also generated six corner kicks compared with just one for Cornerstone.

Defensively, Saint Francis was particularly impressive. Merlijn Van Der Veen played all 90 minutes in goal and recorded the clean sheet without needing to make a save, as Cornerstone failed to put any of its seven shots on target. Cornerstone goalkeeper Luke Philo made two saves.

Tippner led the Saint Francis attack with three shots, while Nicolás Balbin added two attempts. Kirtzeck made his opportunity count, scoring on his only shot of the match.

The victory continues a strong stretch for Saint Francis after the Cougars entered September with a 2-2-1 record. Cornerstone, meanwhile, entered Saturday still searching for its first victory of the season.